 MADISON—The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) is honored to announce Dr. Berdie L. Cowser as the recipient of the inaugural Anna Mae Robertson Veteran Legacy Award. The award was presented to Dr. Cowser by Governor Tony Evers and WDVA Secretary James Bond at a Veterans Day reception at the Executive Residence.
"Dr. Cowser's impact in the community and helping veterans over the last 20 years is the perfect complement to Anna Mae Robertson's historic legacy," said Governor Evers during the award presentation. "Dr. Cowser has been a trailblazer herself, as a leader in mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and holistic wellness among veterans and their families. Our state and country are certainly better places to live because of people like her."
“Receiving the 2025 Anna Mae Robertson Veteran Legacy Award is deeply meaningful to me," said Dr. Cowser. "Like Ms. Robertson, I have faced challenges that tested both my strength and my purpose, yet I have remained committed to serving others. Her story reminds me that our true legacy is built not just on what we achieve, but on how we lift others along the way. This honor reaffirms my mission to continue serving veterans, women, and communities that deserve to be seen, heard, and valued.”
"Dr. Cowser's dedication reminds us that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off, it evolves," said Secretary Bond. "Through her efforts, the legacy of Anna Mae Robertson lives on in a new generation of veterans who serve their communities with compassion and purpose."
Dr. Berdie L. Cowser, a U.S. Army veteran, has devoted over two decades to advancing veteran housing, wellness, and empowerment across Wisconsin. As Immediate Past Vice President of Housing and Development at the Center for Veterans Issues (CVI) in Milwaukee, she led statewide initiatives that expanded housing and support services, including transforming VETS Place Central into Wisconsin’s largest transitional housing campus for veterans and co-creating Boudicca House, the state’s only transitional home for single women veterans and women veterans with children.
A respected leader, educator, and advocate, Dr. Cowser continues to mentor and uplift women veterans, veterans of color, and emerging leaders through her community engagement, mentorship, and teaching. Read her full bio and accomplishments here.
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About the Award
The Anna Mae Robertson Veteran Legacy Award honors the enduring contributions of Wisconsin veteran leaders who elevate their communities through advocacy, mentorship, and service. Anna Mae Robertson embodies the best of what it means to be a veteran, a trailblazer who exhibited quiet strength and served in what would become the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). She enlisted in 1942 and, after training, set sail for England as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-African American, all-female unit deployed overseas during World War II.
After she left the service in 1945, she worked at Zablocki Veterans Hospital as a nursing service and fought for fair housing in the Milwaukee area. Robertson was a loving wife and mother of eight children. She passed away in May 2025 at the age of 101.
Learn more about Robertson's legacy and her service here.
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